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When a Bio-Pic Swerves off the Path from
ESPN Classics.
Being the diligent film critic I am, it took me almost a
full week to see Michael Mann's biopic on the greatest sports
figure of the 20th century. But it did give me a chance to
read some of the other opinions that have been set forth by
other filmologists who make a lot more money at this than
I do. (That would be one penny and up.) And I have to admit
I'm pretty baffled. All I've read so far is that Ali is
too "muted" or "doesn't show us enough of the
man." They say that the director "makes himself
the star of the film" and leaves everyone else hanging.
What? I guess the film fails in being a retread of Muhammed's
"Greatest Hits and Lines" and ends up being a thoughtful
observation on the man's politics, his religion, and his fault's
amidst the time that he lived. And I guess if that requires
the title character, played by Will Smith, to take a back
seat and allow the camera and the other technical aspects
of the film to create the necessary mood, then so be it. If
that's somehow a failure in the film, I'd certainly hate to
see their version of the story.
And what a story it is. The film chronicles Ali's life from
1964 to 1974, or from his defeat of Sonny Liston to the "Rumble
in the Jungle" and his triumph over George Foreman. In
between all of that, the audience sees Ali and his friendship
blossom and fade with Malcolm X. Malcolm is played by Mario
Van Peebles with about the same amount of conviction and believability
that oh say, I could have brought to the part. But it does
go to show how Ali viewed the civil rights movement in the
perspective of his religion. He gets a great deal of flack
for changing his name from Cassius Clay to Ali in the media
and at home. His father chastises him for rejecting the family
name and the religion that he was brought up to believe. Ali
follows the Nation of Islam in a very childlike fashion (But
then, there are a lot of people guilty to adhering more to
their church than to the actual teachings of the religion
without question.), and then reject's Malcolm's friendship
right before he is shot. Later, Ali is banned from boxing
for three years after refusing to enter into the draft. The
misconception that Ali did this on religious grounds is questioned
by the film when he is banned from the Nation for comments
he made in relation to the decision. The three years is a
lonely time, with Ali's only real support coming from ABC
sportscaster Howard Cosell. (Jon Voight, who does an amazing
job of capturing, and not just impersonating, such a dynamic
character.) Once the Supreme Court unanimously overturns Ali's
conviction, he is able to fight again which leads a 32-year
old Ali to fight a young Foreman in a fight promoted by Don
King (Mykelti Williamson having a grand old time) in Zaire.
Finally, Ali gets to observe and immerse himself in the place
of his roots and the origins of all the things he has spoken
of in his life.
The history in the film is close enough. As a matter of fact,
I think the script should be commended for showing all of
Ali's darker points: the adultery, the questionable characters
he surrounded himself with, and the constant struggle with
maintaining his public image. The private side of Ali is very
muted and very introspective. Smith allows for most of his
acting to go through his eyes and with the somber movements
within living rooms and training gyms. I mean, not only did
Smith go through a miraculous physical transformation, he
also raises the bar on his acting abilities by making such
a larger-than-life character seem so real and tangible. (Not
that it needed any prodding: I've always thought Will was
something special after seeing Six Degrees of Separation)
Some of these critics have said that Ali has been shrunk by
the filmmakers and that the real Ali would be far more of
a commentator than the character portrayed here. Do they really
think that Ali acted the way he did in the weigh-ins or whenever
he was on television as he did when he was alone with his
family or with a lover? Perhaps these critics were expecting
Smith to turn into Cuba Gooding Jr. and he would start screaming
"Float like a butterfly" during normal phone conversations.
Frankly, I saw the six or seven hours ESPN dedicated to Ali's
career in the ring and I had no reason to see all of that
re-created. If you want a retread of a career, go rent Man
on the Moon. I think Mann had to show Ali as being silent
to the things happening around him because how is there any
way to create a monologue without being trite or placating
to the audience. Even a man as flamboyant and outspoken as
Ali can only look on as his neighborhood is being rioted or
when he jogs through an impoverished African village among
those who see him as their only hope. I mean, what other director
would have the nuts to show us the turmoil created by racial
tension in the USA and then switch it over to place where
it all started and allow the main character to ponder things
like his origin and the true meaning of his existence? And
in a sports pic, no less! The film shows Ali as a man who
was not in control of his persona but as only responding to
the world around him. He talked trash for the same reason
he wouldn't fight in Vietnam: He was who he was and he would
not be detracted in any way. Kick ass, baby.
Maybe I'm full of it or maybe I'm guilty of being a Mann
apologist. (It seems I do a lot of apologizing for film directors,
doesn't it?) But it really boils down to whether an audience
member is able to sit down for almost three hours and allow
a film to show the side of a character in a way that isn't
flashy but that is believable. It seems that may be the crime
that Mann is guilty of committing: He has taken one of our
true athletic heroes and made him flawed and made him dark
and made him...human. And made him a human that suffered for
his beliefs that were not set forth for publicity of self-gain
but because that was how he really felt. I never thought the
story of Ali would be told using so much jazz and so much
gospel with a focus on the Nation of Islam and the fight with
the justice system of this country. But it was and I think
that our understanding of him is all the better for that.
If one goes into Ali not expecting the same "Look
at how we re-filmed something you already know" style
and going in looking for greater understanding, then this
is the flick for you. If not, then I'm sure that the Milos
Foreman section of the local video store might have exactly
what you need.
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